JACQUELYN OAK

OAK, Jacquelyn Curator and American Folk Art Scholar Jacquelyn Oak passed away on June 1, 2024. Born October 7, 1947 in LaPorte, Indiana, the daughter of Dwight David and Elizabeth Oak, she graduated from Lake Forest College, Illinois and received her Master's in Art History at Purdue University. She began her museum career in 1972 as registrar at Shelburne Museum. It was the beginning of a lifelong fascination with folk art and folk artists. In 1976, she joined the staff of the Museum of Our National Heritage in Lexington, Massachusetts, serving as registrar for major exhibitions in collaboration with national and international museums. She was active in the New England Museum Association. Her love of folk art never waned. She co-authored an article on folk artist Noah North, participated in major folk art conferences and served as a consultant to the Whitney Museum, Art Institute of Chicago, Brattleboro Museum and Art Center and Genesee County Museum. She organized "House, Sign, and Fancy Painting" in collaboration with Shelburne Museum and published two articles, "New Discoveries in House, Sign, and Fancy Painting" in Clarion and "American Folk Portraits in the Collection of Sybil B. And Arthur B. Kern" in Antiques. The discovery of a painting signed by M.W. Hopkins forced a reappraisal of works previously attributed to Noah North and paved the way for an entirely new way to look at folk artists of the 19th century. Jackie brought an attention to detail, relentless research and an innovative social-history approach to what became a groundbreaking study of Hopkins and North. "Face to Face: M.W. Hopkins and Noah North," a traveling exhibition and scholarly catalog was accompanied by a scholarly catalog. As a guest curator at the Fenimore Art Museum in Cooperstown, she organized Artist and Visionary: William Matthew Prior Revealed and A Perfect Likeness: Folk Art and Early Photography. At the time of her passing, she was working on a major exhibition on American folk artists and their involvement in social and religious reform movements. She continued to share her enthusiasm for the collections of Shelburne Museum as a guide until her death.

View the online memorial for Jacquelyn OAK